Normal waggle?

jenkinsbrynmair · Oct 1, 2022

pargyle said:
I was thinking that there may be a case for putting an empty brood box under the existing brood box with a sliding tray at the bottom to catch the dead bees and allow for their total removal by the beekeeper with an entrance at the bottom - or even top of the existing brood box - perhaps a small eke with an entrance hole ?

it then becomes a floor as far as the bees are concerned, I had one CBPV in the middle of other hives at one apiary this year, did the no floor trick and left them to it, they even requeened themselves, no other colony at the apiary was affected - I only put the floor back a few weeks ago and they were booming

Erichalfbee · Oct 1, 2022

The trouble with adding a floor a brood box below is that the bees clean it up well before you can get there
I've had it three times over 10 years and I've never had a colony robbed.
I do nadir a 14x12 and give an entrance above it. I actually have a floor without mesh which I use.

pargyle · Oct 1, 2022

Erichalfbee said:
The trouble with adding a floor a brood box below is that the bees clean it up well before you can get there
I've had it three times over 10 years and I've never had a colony robbed.
I do nadir a 14x12 and give an entrance above it. I actually have a floor without mesh which I use.

OK so you put an empty brood box below the affected colony without a floor in it ... that sounds like a good idea ...just moves the big hole where the floor was down a bit further and that I suspect would make it less noticeable to robbers.

What about if you made a V-shaped smooth metal insert to go in the lower brood box with just a slot at the bottom so the dead bees would slide down through the slot into a container that the bees would not bother clearing out ...

I'm thinking that would be another nice little earner for my retirement ... the Argyle CBPV Floor !

Erichalfbee · Oct 1, 2022

pargyle said:
What about if you made a V-shaped smooth metal insert to go in the lower brood box with just a slot at the bottom so the dead bees would slide down through the slot into a container that the bees would not bother clearing out ...

Yes...that would work

pargyle · Oct 1, 2022

Erichalfbee said:
Yes...that would work

Perhaps smooth plastic would be cheaper .... I don't know how many cases of CBPV there are but it does seem to be on the increase .... This time next year I'll be a millionaire Rodney !

Newbeeneil · Oct 1, 2022

pargyle said:
OK so you put an empty brood box below the affected colony without a floor in it ... that sounds like a good idea ...just moves the big hole where the floor was down a bit further and that I suspect would make it less noticeable to robbers.

What about if you made a V-shaped smooth metal insert to go in the lower brood box with just a slot at the bottom so the dead bees would slide down through the slot into a container that the bees would not bother clearing out ...

I'm thinking that would be another nice little earner for my retirement ... the Argyle CBPV Floor !

Oi!........ I suggested that in a previous post about 6months ago. I don't want you infringing my patent!,,,,,,